Sacrament (Latter Day Saints)
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In Mormonism, the Sacrament is the Lord's Supper, in which participants eat bread and drink wine (or water, in the case of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints since the late 1800s). It is essentially the same as the Eucharist, Communion in some other Christian denominations. Normally in Mormon congregations, the Sacrament is provided every Sunday as part of the Sacrament meeting.
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the word "ordinance" is used approximately as the word Sacrament is used in Christianity in general.…
In the Community of Christ, the word "sacrament" is also used in the more common, generic sense used by most of Christianity, meaning a rite or "ordinance".
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Sacrament is performed on a weekly basis during Sacrament meeting with exceptions arising during General and Stake conferences). As most males in the church age 16 years and older are able to perform the ordinance, it is common for wards to send men to the homes of sick (usually homebound) members of the congregation, and administer the sacrament to them. Also, fathers of families occasionally perform it with their families during times of illness or travel, but this requires the approval of the bishop, as it should not replace the regular attendance of congregation meetings.
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[edit] The Sacrament ceremony
[edit] Method of administering the Sacrament to the congregation
In latter-day saint Sacrament meetings, the Sacrament is passed to members of the congregation after being blessed by a priest from the Aaronic priesthood or a member of the higher Melchizedek Priesthood. A special prayer is given on the bread, after which the bread is passed to the congregation (beginning with the Bishop or Stake President if present), usually by deacons. The prayer recited for the bread is found in the Book of Mormon and Doctrine and Covenants. In English, it reads:
- "O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them, that they may always have his Spirit to be with them. Amen." (Book of Moroni 4:3, Doctrine and Covenants 20:77).
After the bread is passed, another special prayer is given on the wine (water, in the LDS context, since the late 1800s), which is then passed to the congregation. The English version of this prayer is as follows:
- "O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine (or water) to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was shed for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen." (Book of Moroni 5:2, Doctrine and Covenants 20:79).
The sacramental prayers are different from most other prayers in the Church in that they must be recited verbatim. If the priest blessing the sacrament makes a mistake and does not correct himself, the bishop will usually signal that the prayer must be repeated until recited correctly.
[edit] The use of wine as a symbol of the blood of Christ
As originally practiced by the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. and other early Mormons, the Sacrament included the use of fermented wine. Although The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now uses water in each congregation's weekly Sacrament meeting, other sects continue to use wine or grape juice. For example, the Community of Christ and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) sect uses unfermented grape juice. The use of unfermented grape juice arises from an interpretation of Doctrine and Covenants, Section 26:1 (Community of Christ edition), although it is clear that Mormons used fermented wine after that section was recorded.
Commanded in an 1830 revelation (D&C 27:2-4) not to purchase alcohol from enemies (at a time of heavy persecution for the saints), The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints focused on producing its own wine, eventually owning and operating vineyards and wineries in Utah and California (including Napa Valley) during the 1800s.
In 1833 Joseph Smith received the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom, part of which states that alcohol consumption is harmful to a person's health and well-being. Initially the Word of Wisdom was treated simply as good advice, and the saints (including the prophet himself) would still drink on occasion. During the late 1800s, church leaders slowly started to take the revelation more seriously. This increased respect for the Word of Wisdom, combined with the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 27: "[I]t mattereth not what ye shall eat or what ye shall drink when ye partake of the sacrament, if it so be that ye do it with an eye single to my glory," led congregations to begin substituting water for the sacramental wine (water has also been used as a symbol of Christ and his mission at various times, including Jesus's 'living water' sermon). The practice was officially adopted Church-wide in 1912.
Occasionally circumstances permit various other food substitutes as well. Crackers and tortillas are sometimes used in outdoor, rugged settings (such as church sponsored Boy Scout camping trips. Stories abound of WWII impoverished European congretations using potato slices. In the above situations, however, the word "bread" (in English) is used in the prayers.
[edit] Changes in Sacrament Administration
- Deacons and Teachers didn't originally take part in the preparing or passing of the Sacramental emblems, which seems to have been first encouraged in 1898[1] and was widely implemented between the 1920s or 30s. Previous reticence to involve them was probably due to the following verse from the LDS Doctrine and Covenants:
- But neither teachers nor deacons have authority to baptize, administer the sacrament, or lay on hands. (Doctrine and Covenants 20:58, LDS edition)
- Individual water cups, instead of drinking from a common cup, were introduced in 1911. This followed a growing trend among American churches which began with the Congregational church in 1893.
- Passing the Sacrament to the Bishop (or other Church leader) first began in 1946.[2]
- The men administering the sacrament would hold their right arm to the square (as with LDS baptisms), but this practice ended completely by the 1980s.
- It seems that unbaptised children were not encouraged to partake of the Sacrament in the first 70-100 years of the LDS Church's history, probably because the ordinance is symbolic of renewing baptismal covenants.
[edit] Meaning of the Sacrament
To Mormons, the Sacrament is viewed as a renewal of the covenant made at baptism. As such, it is a closed communion for baptized members in good standing. According to the Sacrament prayers, a person eats and drinks in remembrance of the body and blood of Jesus, and promises always to remember him and keep his commandments. In return the prayer promises that the participant will always have the Spirit to be with them.
The Sacrament is considered the most sacred and important element of the Sunday meetings and as such is approached by the Latter-Day Saints with reverence and in a spirit of penitence. Consequently, all who partake of the Sacrament are encouraged to examine their own consciences and prayerfully gauge their own worthiness to do so. If they feel unworthy, they are encouraged to refrain until they have properly confessed and repented of whatever sins or misdeeds they may have committed. Partaking of the sacrament by members who have been disfellowshipped or excommunicated is a serious transgression; partaking of the sacrament by non-Mormons is permissible, but has no significance.
The Sacrament is considered to be a weekly renewal of a Mormon's commitment to follow Jesus Christ, and a plea for forgiveness of sins.
Like most Restorationist sects of Christianity (such as the Jehovah's Witnesses and Baptists), and unlike the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Lutheran churches, Mormons do not believe in any kind of Real Presence. Mormons view the bread and wine (water) as symbolic of the body and blood of Christ.
